This week's theme: Servanthood

Goals: To teach the children that:

1. The Bible is our guide for living

2. God wants us to serve him with enthusiasm.

3. We need to be willing to be radical for Jesus.

4. God wants us to be willing to do whatever he asks of us.

Chef Skit:

The Swedish chef comes in to the room in a crazy and excited manner. Today he is very enthusiastic and energetic. He is very excited about his new recipe. He is going to make a cow pie for pastor. He is using chocolate pudding, ants (raisins), crushed oreos, and corn and tuna (cause the pastor hates tuna). He is going to make it look just like a real cow pie. He talks about what a radical recipe it is. It's wild, it's crazy, it's like nothing else. He is going to do make this crazy recipe because he is wild about practical jokes.

The leader tries to explain to him that we should use our energy to do radical things for Jesus. We should be more enthusiastic about doing good things for God instead of doing bad stuff to others. The chef is too busy giving his full energy and enthusiasm to what he is doing and ignores the leader. The leader wishes aloud that people would be that enthusiastic about doing things for God.

The Bible is full of stories that tell us how to live and what to do. And it is full of stories about people who were wildly enthusiastic about their faith in God, people who were radical for God.

Crazy Moose story: Cocoa the crazy moose pops out in the puppet stage with a rattle. He says that he has heard stories about some people who were rattler. The leader corrects him and tells him that the word is radical. She explains that radical means wild, crazy, outrageous, enthusiastic.

The leader holds it up and tells the kids that every time they hear the rattle they should shout out "We're rattle cal (radical) about Jesus."

Cocoa starts to tell the story of Ezekiel and how he laid on his slide (side) for over a year. The leader corrects him and tells him that maybe he should listen to the story instead. She tells about how God asked Ezekiel to do some radical things like cooking his food over dung. Make sure to make a point of the fact that he was willing to do some pretty wild things for God in spite of how stupid he might look. He was enthusiastic about his faith in God.

Cool Clyde's death defying double dare:

Eph. 6:6 With all your heart you must do what God wants you to do.

Cool Clyde comes out to teach the memory verse. After teaching the verse he challenges the kids to his death defying double dare. This dare involves eating something really gross that he has cooked up. One child from each team comes up and takes the item out of Clyde's lunch bag, put it in their mouth and eat it and then recite the verse.

This week Cool Clyde has a moon pie with chocolate syrup, chocolate chips and whatever gross you want to add to it. He calls it a cow pie.

Game

You will need moon pies. Tell the children that you are pretending that these moon pies are cow pies. In some places people have cow pie throwing contests. Instruct the kids that they are going to have a cow pie throwing contest. Select children to stand behind the designated line and throw the pie. The pie that goes the farthest is the winner.

After playing the game discuss the following:

1. What are some of the radical things that Ezekiel did for God?

2. How do you think he felt during that time?

3. Did he make a good decision?

4. How can we be radical for Jesus?

Fish object lesson:

The Swedish fish comes out with a five dollar bill. He explains that he has no need for it so he is just going to throw it away. The leader asks if he cares if she keeps it. He gives it to her and leaves.

The leader then asks the kids how many of them might like to have this five dollar bill. She asks them what they would be willing to do for it.

First she brings out a piece of candy and asks who would be willing to eat the candy for the money. She explains they must get through all of her challenges in order to get the money.

The challenges are given one at time:

Dig a marble out of a bowl of raw eggs

Eat sardines and spinach

Cluck like a chicken while doing hula hoop

Let someone decorate their face with chocolate syrup, whipped cream, etc to look like a sundae.

Talk about how often times we are only willing to do stuff for God that we want to do. We don't want to do something that might make us look different or weird to others. We aren't willing to do something hard or distasteful.

Your enthusiasm and true commitment are seen in how willing you are to do the hard things. It is seen in what we are willing to give up and what we are willing to sacrifice.

Are you radical for Jesus?